Being an Android user it is not new for people to try and experiment outside of the Google Play store, but that doesn’t come free of any vices and that also includes games. For instance, there is a Pokemon Go APK out there that is malware infected.

This Android version of the game comes with a Remote Access Tool that can compromise your device and let others have access to it.

The Remote Access Tool (RAT) that comes in the said Pokemon Go APK is called DroidJack, a rather infamous example of such malware which is also known as SandroRAT.

A team of researchers at ProofPoint have been able to dig into the matter and come out with their findings. Looking at the popularity of the Pokemon Go app, this should be rung out as a warning for anyone planning to venture outside of Google Play!

Their findings have also pointed out that since the game was not released simultaneously all across the globe, people who wanted to get their hands on it sooner have tried using third parties to get the APK, which increased the risk potential of the malware reaching people.

If you are worried that you might have downloaded the Pokemon Go APK with the malware, here’s one way to find out for sure:

Individuals worried about whether or not they downloaded a malicious APK have a few options to help them determine if they are now infected. First, they may check the SHA256 hash of the downloaded APK. The legitimate application that has been often linked to by media outlets has a hash of 8bf2b0865bef06906cd854492dece202482c04ce9c5e881e02d2b6235661ab67, although it is possible that there are updated versions already released. The malicious APK that we analyzed has a SHA256 hash of 15db22fd7d961f4d4bd96052024d353b3ff4bd135835d2644d94d74c925af3c4.

So yes, if you are planning on getting a Pokemon Go APK for your Android, make sure you don’t go to third parties for it.